Definition
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Discoverer
Cornish Gossen
Unknown
Etymology
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Rough, Sandy
Vitreous
Color
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Black, Dark Brown
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Glassy
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
Not Available
Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, NA
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Formation
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Tachylite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Mineral Content
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Feldspar, Olivine
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
Fe, Mg
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
Vermilion
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Not Available
Toughness
Not Available
Not Available
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
Not Available
3.058 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Africa
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
East Africa
Europe
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
Others
Not Yet Found
Hawaii Islands
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia
Victoria
Gossan vs Tachylite Characteristics
Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Gossan vs Tachylite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gossan and Properties of Tachylite. Learn more about Gossan vs Tachylite in the next section. The interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Tachylite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gossan and Tachylite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gossan in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Tachylite include Cutting tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers.
More about Gossan and Tachylite
Here you can know more about Gossan and Tachylite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gossan and Tachylite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon and mineral content of Tachylite includes Feldspar, Olivine. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gossan vs Tachylite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors whereas, Tachylite is available in black, dark brown colors. Appearance of Gossan is Dull and Banded and that of Tachylite is Glassy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gossan vs Tachylite. The hardness of Gossan is 4-5 and that of Tachylite is 5.5. The types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan whereas types of Tachylite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gossan is white to grey while that of Tachylite is vermilion. The specific heat capacity of Gossan is 0.24 kJ/Kg K and that of Tachylite is 0.56 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Tachylite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.